Note from the Author: I don't know if any of you have noticed, but in all of these chapters so far, really only one quick thing has happened in all of them. I hope that doesn't bother anyone. Cuz I know some people like to read about a lot of things at once, but I don't know- I guess I just like the "and here's what happened next" set up for this particular story. It makes it easier to write and gives me an excuse not to do any work in my classes. :)

Thanks again to all you reviewers out there! You've all been very kind! And you know what, forget just thanking the reviewers...thank you to everyone who's read to this point! I'm now past ten chapters, however quick they may be! You've all made me so happy by just reading up to this point! It means it's not boring! Hooray!!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Ouran High School Host Club, or any of the characters, no matter how much I may want to.

"Dad? What are you doing here?" Haruhi asked as she entered the house to see Ranka walking into the kitchen looking like he had just got out of bed.

"I don't feel all that great," he shouted back to her, "So they told me to take a day off." Haruhi would have felt happy for him, but she couldn't help the empowering concern.

"Well, are you okay? Can I get you anything?" she worried, "Tamaki will be here in a few minutes, but I can cancel the lesson if-"

"Haruhi, Haruhi," Ranka interrupted, coming back out of the kitchen, "I wouldn't dream of it." He flashed his daughter a wink. Haruhi sighed in relief. She was so hungry, but refused to go in the kitchen when her dad was there due to her consistent unwilling blush sessions that would occur upon her entry, and she didn't want any more "daddy questions." But before Haruhi could get anything to eat, the knock came.

"I'll get it," she said quickly, running to the door. She smiled uncontrollably when she saw Tamaki on the other side, his face, in turn, lighting up at the sight of Haruhi.

"Haruhi-san!" he exclaimed as though he hadn't been expecting to see her there, "I practiced all night and even asked Kyouya for help until I could finally say it right! So, before we…" He trailed off.

"Go on?" Haruhi heard her dad press villainously. Tamaki stood horribly rigid, Haruhi thought he might break if he were to even be touched.

"N-nothing, father-san! I-its only…a few ph-phrases here and there…b-boring things…y-you wouldn't be interested in…O-oh! W-well, maybe you would. I really have no way of knowing…b-but, I would just a-assume…" Tamaki stumbled in horror, his eyes locked on the dangerous creature before him known as an overprotective father.

"Assume what?" Ranka kept going, finding his new found sport rather amusing. He hid a smile by taking a sip of the water he had just gotten for himself, turning his face to ice cold stone again.

"I'm sorry!" Tamaki yelled and fell into a formal Japanese bow, lacking his usual flamboyant European touch. Haruhi eyed her dad evilly.

"You seem just fine…" she mumbled. Ranka shrugged and forced a cough to sound a little sicker than he had let on before. Haruhi rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Tamaki.

"My dad's sick, so…" her words vanished as she thought of a back-up plan, "Actually, I think we'll take our lesson outside today. Is that okay, dad?"

"You mean…" Ranka began with suspense, "Like a date?" The cold aura he tried to release seemed to only hit Tamaki. Haruhi only sighed.

"Not at all," she corrected, "It's a professional lesson." She grabbed Tamaki's hand and pulled him out of his nervous formality and away from the door she was closing. "Come on, it'll be fun! You can take all your indoor practice to the outside world! Bye dad!" Haruhi thought she heard her dad say something back, but wasn't really listening as she realized she had grabbed Tamaki's hand of her own volition.

"We can call this your graduation lesson," Haruhi declared, looking up at Tamaki with a smile, "If you do well today, then you pass my class!" She couldn't help but laugh, though she found nothing amusing at all about Tamaki not coming to see her on a regular basis. The happiness inside her of simply spending the day with Tamaki somewhere other than her cramped living room must have been that overwhelming. And what's more, she was holding his hand as they walked down the empty streets. The day had already become one hundred percent perfect.

"So what was it you were practicing?" Haruhi asked, "I want to hear it! I mean, it's not like I don't know you're already amazing at speaking Japanese, but all the same…" Tamaki suddenly turned a light shade of pink.

"Oh, um…" he began hesitantly, "Well, I…"

"Oh come on," Haruhi lightly pushed, "You were so ready to tell me earlier, why not now? Was it my dad?" Her tone of voice turned annoyed. "He doesn't really hate you, you know. You should see-"

"N-no! It's not that!" Tamaki quickly cut in, waving his free hand to stop Haruhi before she got carried away with excuses she didn't need, "I just…" He sighed.

"Just what?" Haruhi pushed again, anxious to hear now. Tamaki kept his eyes away from hers and pulled her over to an abandoned street corner surrounded by other apartment buildings and small houses. Haruhi felt her cheeks burn as she ran through all the possibilities of why he would want to stop to tell her what he had learned, all of them seeming much too ridiculous to ever be true.

"Haruhi-san," Tamaki started as though he were about to recite some difficult poem or something, "You…You are the most…beautiful girl I have ever met." Haruhi felt like fainting just hearing those words. The rest was too much for her to handle at all. "Every minute I spend with you…I…I can hardly catch my breath." He held her hand tighter and put his other hand on her shoulder to pull her gently closer to him. "The…the days I've spent with you…I'll never…never be happier…" Haruhi couldn't explain how she was still breathing. "Haruhi-san…I'm…I'm in love with you."

Haruhi exploded.

Everything inside of her burst into a massive whirlwind. She couldn't keep track of anything, let alone even a momentary train of thought, and it twisted and turned inside of her. The butterflies came back, fluttering around everywhere, bouncing wherever they pleased. Haruhi didn't think she was alive anymore. She must have died.

She was in a complete heaven she would never escape from.

"Y-you say you practiced all night?" Haruhi tried to ask with confidence, but her voice was too shaky. Tamaki nodded nervously.

"Idiot," Haruhi scolded and Tamaki flinched, "You couldn't even get my name right. It's Haruhi. Just Haruhi." Tamaki smiled in inexplicable relief and gave Haruhi the sweetest, and quickest, kiss of her life. Though it was only the second…

Haruhi smiled back at him when they pulled away.

"Idiot or not," she shrugged, "I suppose I love you too."